Throwing Sticks in Lovely Llangollen

This was the first holiday for us that allowed holiday goers to bring their dogs. The fact that the three dogs that came along were Border Collies was perfect; after all we were in Border Collie country and it seemed that every other dog we saw was a border collie! It was easy to see why occasionally you could see the dogs longing to herd the multitude of sheep, but for the most part they hid this feeling well. These dogs took everything in their stride, through walking in pitch black to scaling the ruins of Dinas Bran castle; they had boundless energy and just seemed to fit in perfectly to the North Wales way of life.

We started off by taking a small walk into the surrounding scenery of the hotel; we walked up hills and around with the dogs hounding us to throw every stick they could find! We headed up to the ruins of the castle that we spotted when we made our way to the hotel on the first evening – the view of Llangollen below was breathtaking. Eventually, once we made our way down the hillside and into the town of Llangollen, we walked along the canal (occasionally passing horse-drawn canal boats) on our way back to the hotel. Not a drop of rain in sight.

Day two involved climbing an even higher hill and though I was tiring by the top, the dogs were not and in fact were still searching for suitable sticks. From the top the panoramic views again were incredible; we could see the sea to the North West and rows upon rows of wind turbines stretching from near shore to fading into the horizon. To the east we could see small villages and the loggerheads national park from where we started, all of which seemed so small now, and to the west (shrouded in cloud) we could see Snowdon, reminding me that we were not even close to the highest peak in Wales.

Considering the relative strain of the previous day we took things lightly the following, walking parts of Offa’s Dyke and on the way passing a 1100 year old oak tree signalling the start of the graves following the Battle of Crogan. There was an eerie feel to the location but surrounded by so much history there was little one could do but be in awe of the situation. We had lunch in a picturesque field in a valley with a river running alongside; the dogs took this opportunity to jump into the river and take a hefty drink in preparation for the rest of the day.

The aqueduct that had caught my attention on the evening of arrival in Llangollen was very much closer on the final day, walking across with a canal boat alongside felt so serene. The sun even came out for a while giving a perfect start to the morning and although the walk had lots of highlights such as walking through an almost ½ kilometre of pitch black, that view from the aqueduct is the memory that will stick with me forever- alongside the dogs waiting patiently for us to throw a stick!

The Edge of Wales

Having eventually arrived at our hotel on the rather remote Llyn Peninsula in North Wales, and met the other 8 members of our walking group, we were delighted with the varied menu choice and extremely generous portions at our first – and subsequent – dinners.

Lovely Lycian Way

I awoke at 4.00am and had plenty of time to prepare for the 6.00am bus to the airport. The check in was quite quick and easy but I had to pay £1 for a sealed plastic bag to hold my lip seal and hand cleaner!

Get On Your Bike in the Rhine

Rather than write a dry blow-by-blow account of what we did every day, I thought I’d try and explain why I think it’s worth coming here. When I first visited this part of the Rhine, shortly after I moved here, I was frankly disappointed.

“Wow” Moments in Sicily

Bob regales us with “wow” moments from his one of a kind Sicilian walking holiday. A combination of luck and beauty left this group with long lasting memories. – Laura, Community Coordinator

Our private group, the Georgia (USA) Overseas Hiking Club, chose Ancient Wonders of Sicily because of the many spectacular sights that we would see. We saw so many spectacular things, but what also makes a holiday truly memorable is the unexpected bonuses that in the words of our leader, Peter Watts, are simply “wow”. We had two super “wows” on this holiday.

The first occurred in Syracuse after a dinner at the appropriately name restaurant, La Rambla. Peter invited group members to accompany him on a bonus walk to explore Ortygia Island illuminated at night. While walking we spotted a crowd along the street and heard the music of a band coming toward us. We quickly squeezed in to see what the commotion was about, only to discover a small army of men bearing an enormous silver statue of a saintly woman on a pedestal. The mystery was solved when the men began to chant, “Santa Lucia! Santa Lucia!”.

A little research revealed that Santa Lucia was born in Syracuse and martyred during the persecutions under the Roman Emperor, Diocletian. The statue itself is 90 kilos of solid silver resting on an enormous base of silver and transported on the shoulders of 60(!) very able-bodied men. No wonder the procession took periodic rest breaks. It is paraded only twice a year, and we were there!

A helpful local told us the procession would end at the Duomo (Cathedral) and kindly showed us a shortcut so we could again see the procession as it arrived. We secured a prime location on the Duomo steps and again had a marvelous sighting of the sacred pageantry. The finale was a magnificent display of fireworks that lit the sky with color and deafened the ears. Definitely, wow!

Our stay in Palermo included a visit by public bus to the remarkable Cathedral in nearby Monreale, noted for its gold and colored glass mosaics which are said to surpass even those of St Mark’s in Venice. We were early arrivals for the return bus to Palermo where our group of 21 had the opportunity to mingle with a group of 8 young adults from Macedonia who were taking a break from a conference on organized crime. Many conversations between we Americans and our new Macedonia friends ensued. As the bus departed for Palermo our new friends entertained us with one of their national songs. Upon completion, much to our amazement, the Macedonians broke out with “The Star Spangled Banner”. Naturally, we joined in the singing of our national anthem as we serenaded all of the other bus passengers. This was a very unexpected and moving moment for us. Another wow!